Ecology, Sexual Selection, and the Evolution of Mating Systems

Emlen, Stephen T.; Oring, Lewis W.

doi:10.1126/science.327542

Cited by 5,547 publications

(4,018 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…We examined a number of hypotheses, largely derived from the classical literature, to identify factors associated with polyandry. We found that an imbalanced operational sex ratio in favor of males is the only variable robustly associated with polyandry, which is consistent with the avian model of Emlen and Oring (1977). In addition, we found that adult male mortality and male absenteeism may be factors.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

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A Survey of Non-Classical Polyandry

Starkweather

Hames

2012

Hum Nat

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Emlen and Oring (1977) suggested that the operational sex ratio (OSR) is a significant determinant of polyandry across a wide variety of vertebrates. When the OSR is male-biased, polyandry becomes more likely, and when female-biased, polygyny becomes more likely.…”

Section: Evolutionary Biological Theories Of Polyandrymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Non-Classical Polyandry

Starkweather

Hames

2012

Hum Nat

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“…Depredation of broods in untended nests has been shown to occur rapidly in Lake Opeongo, as smallmouth bass in this system experience high predation driven mortality on eggs and larvae (Dunlop, Orendorff, Shuter, Rodd, & Ridgway, 2005; Ridgway & Friesen, 1992). The potential losses to an individual male by withholding care from one set of offspring while courting and mating with additional females could therefore be greater than the gains resulting from such behavior (Emlen & Oring, 1977; Westneat, 1990). Moreover, the intensity of male nest‐defense behavior has been shown to increase with egg and larval development stage (Coble, 1975; Ridgway, 1988), and this change in behavior could deter additional females from spawning with males whose nest already contains eggs from other females.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most influential factors include the availability and distribution of critical resources and the spatial and temporal distribution of sexually receptive mates (Emlen & Oring, 1977; Shuster & Wade, 2003). Changes in the spatial or temporal distribution of a critical resource from 1 year to another or from one area to another are expected to alter the environmental potential for polygamy (Emlen & Oring, 1977; Shuster & Wade, 2003). With increasing variance in habitat quality, there exists a greater potential for individuals to monopolize resources, and thus a greater environmental potential for polygamy, and sexual selection is expected to intensify (Emlen & Oring, 1977; Shuster & Wade, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changes in the spatial or temporal distribution of a critical resource from 1 year to another or from one area to another are expected to alter the environmental potential for polygamy (Emlen & Oring, 1977; Shuster & Wade, 2003). With increasing variance in habitat quality, there exists a greater potential for individuals to monopolize resources, and thus a greater environmental potential for polygamy, and sexual selection is expected to intensify (Emlen & Oring, 1977; Shuster & Wade, 2003). However, changes in the energetic cost of resource or mate monopolization resulting from changes in population density and the length of breeding season are expected to influence the ability of individuals to take advantage of the environmental potential for polygamy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genetic mating system and mate selection in smallmouth bass

Franckowiak

Ridgway

Wilson

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Mating systems are an important factor influencing the variance in reproductive success among individuals within natural populations and thus have important ecological and evolutionary implications. We used molecular pedigree reconstruction techniques with microsatellite DNA data to characterize the genetic mating system and mate selection in adult smallmouth bass spawning in Lake Opeongo. The genetic mating system of smallmouth bass in this system can be characterized as predominantly monogamous with a low rate of polygynandry particularly among larger individuals. Iteroparous individuals showed a complete absence of interannual mate fidelity, presumably due to the low annual return rate of spawning adults. Within a season, individuals from both sexes pursued additional mating opportunities with males showing greater variance in mate number than females. Female mate selection appeared to be largely random with little evidence for elevated levels of inbreeding in this population. Multiple mating females pursued additional males to whom they were less related than the first male with which they spawned within a given season, however, this pattern varied among years. The mating pattern observed in this population would likely limit the strength of sexual selection and thus could account for the lack of sexual dimorphism and the absence of alternative reproductive tactics in this species.

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Intrasexual competition and body weight dimorphism in anthropoid primates

Plavcan

Schaik

1997

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

279

192

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Body weight dimorphism in anthropoid primates has been thought to be a consequence of sexual selection resulting from male-male competition for access to mates. However, while monogamous anthropoids show low degrees of weight dimorphism, as predicted by the sexual selection hypothesis, polygynous anthropoids show high variation in weight dimorphism that is not associated with measures of mating system or sex ratio. This observation has led many to debate the role of other factors such as dietary constraints, predation pressure, substrate constraints, allometric effects, and phylogeny in the evolution of anthropoid weight dimorphism. Here, we re-evaluate variation in adult body weight dimorphism in anthropoids, testing the sexual selection hypothesis using categorical estimates of the degree of male-male intrasexual competition ("competition levels"). We also test the hypotheses that interspecific variation in body weight dimorphism is associated with female body weight and categorical estimates of diet, substrate use, and phylogeny. Weight dimorphism is strongly associated with competition levels, corroborating the sexual selection hypothesis. Weight dimorphism is positively correlated with increasing female body weight, but evidence suggests that the correlation reflects an interaction between overall size and behavior. Arboreal species are, on average, less dimorphic than terrestrial species, while more frugivorous species tend to be more dimorphic than folivorous or insectivorous species. Several alternative hypotheses can explain these latter results. Weight dimorphism is correlated with taxonomy, but so too are competition levels. We suggest that most taxonomic correlations of weight dimorphism represent "phylogenetic niche conservatism"; however, colobines show consistently low degrees of weight dimorphism for reasons that are not clear.

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Ecology, Sexual Selection, and the Evolution of Mating Systems

Cited by 5,547 publications

References 75 publications

A Survey of Non-Classical Polyandry

A Survey of Non-Classical Polyandry

Genetic mating system and mate selection in smallmouth bass

Intrasexual competition and body weight dimorphism in anthropoid primates

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